In a statement on Sunday, Mr Khan called the attack an act of terrorism.

He praised the "initial response by security guards and security forces" for preventing greater loss of life.

At least one hotel security guard was confirmed dead by the military on Saturday, which said all hotel guests were safely evacuated.

It was unclear if the newly announced casualties were civilians, hotel guards or security forces.

A Baluch separatist group, the Baluch Liberation Army, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying four of its fighters were involved.

The same separatist group in 2018 attacked a Chinese consulate in the major southern city of Karachi, triggering a shootout in which all three insurgents, two police officers and two civilians were killed.

China is helping Pakistan to build a modern port in Gwadar, 600 kilometers (373 miles) west of Karachi. The Pearl Continental hotel is located near the port.

Gwadar lies in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists who demand a greater share of the province's natural gas and mineral resources.

Pakistan says it has quelled the insurgency, but violence has continued. The latest attack came weeks after Islamabad claimed that a group of militants crossed the border from neighboring Iran and killed 14 security officials when they were on their way to Gwadar in buses. Pakistan at the time blamed a Baluch separatist group, Raji Aajoi Sangar, for the killings.